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Caffeine boost on campus
There’s good news for sleepy students at Brigham Young University in Idaho who are busy writing papers and cramming for exams late into the night: The school’s new soda menu includes more soda flavors to give you more energy.
The church-owned BYU-Idaho now sells caffeinated Coke, Pepsi, Mountain Dew and other drinks from vending machines and in restaurants. Energy drinks, however, remain taboo.
BYU in Provo has been offering caffeinated cola since 2017. It took seven years, but the Rexburg campus has now caught up to the flagship campus.
“We have a new contract with our on-campus beverage supplier,” BYU-Idaho spokesman Perry Rockwood told several news outlets, “and yes, it includes a wider selection than before.”
The move is another indication that consuming caffeinated sodas does not violate the Church’s health guidelines, which include the Word of Wisdom – contrary to what many snarky outsiders and, frankly, petty insiders believe.
So, cheers to all thirsty BYU-Idaho students.
Read our special report
Be sure to read our exclusive six-part series on the religious divide that separates Latter-day Saints in the Beehive State from their neighbors and vice versa—a divide that remains, according to a leading Mormon scholar, “the defining feature of cultural life in Utah.” Here are parts 1, 2, 3 and 4.
A sixth missionary death in 2024
A 26-year-old missionary who served in her home country of Haiti has died.
Jenny Lucas, who has worked in the Port-au-Prince mission since January and is from a suburb of the Caribbean country’s capital, died on August 2 from “what are believed to be sudden complications related to a pre-existing medical condition,” church spokesman Sam Penrod said in a press release on Tuesday. “We extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Sister Lucas and the missionaries she served with.”
This is the sixth publicly reported death of a full-time missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints this year.
The latest Mormon Land podcast: Body and Soul
What role might Latter-day Saint culture and theology play in how they perceive their bodies? A new study from BYU provides interesting answers.
Listen to the podcast.
Russell Nelson, based on the book
For years, members have studied the teachings of past Church presidents using special manuals—one for each leader. Now they can begin to delve deeper into the life and teachings of the living prophet-president.
Four chapters from Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Russell M. Nelson are now available online.
“This is the first time the Church has published a teaching manual on a living prophet,” a press release said. “The digital format allows this manual (as well as manuals on future Church presidents) to become a living document that can be updated as President Nelson continues in his ministry.”
From The Tribune
• For 17-year-old Parker Mitchell, who is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, his decision to wear his T-shirt that read “I can’t. I’m Mormon” — “I almost never wear that shirt,” he said — to an Arizona Diamondbacks baseball game sparked a viral video that has been viewed more than 1.4 million times.
• Tribune guest columnist Eli McCann recalls his first cup of coffee and coming out as a “devil bean” believer to his parents, who are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
• A new study shows that Latter-day Saints undergo cosmetic surgery more often than the average American — and sometimes for what they call religious reasons.
• Thousands of young single members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gather for speed dating, games, music, messages and to sign a card celebrating President Nelson’s 100th birthday.
• See how the Lost & Found Club is building an online and in-person community of former Latter-day Saints.